"Forcing China to revalue its currency is not just important for this recovery," said Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the Economic Policy Institute, "I think it's really critical for the future of the economy."

C. Fred Bergsten, director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, told a congressional hearing last month that getting China to revalue its currency would generate 300,000 to 700,000 new jobs, most of them paying well over the national average.

In coming days, South Korea will encourage the U.S. and European nations to ease their pressure on China to revalue its currency, people familiar with the effort said, and look for other ways to change the sizable trade surpluses China has generated, which are blamed for a broader imbalance in the global economy.